Food. Lifestyle. Ramblings

Month: February 2017

“Sometimes the smallest things take up the most room in your heart“- A.A. Milne

How true do the words of A.A.Milne ring, in your heart, when you think about gifting a loved one or for that matter anyone a moment of appreciation from your life.

The whole idea of gifting, is to make the loved one feel, loved. You, certainly don’t need an occasion or a reason to gift. In today’s world, where everything has become electronic, where wishes are conveniently conveyed by emoticons and by the tippity-tap of the keyboard- the need to retain that personal touch, is even more than before.

But, the problem persists in the fact that, we all are chained to work schedules or other commitments. Even, if you decide to go and buy a gift, you are short of time or are made to accept whatever you get. Ergo, that thrill of selecting the best gift fades?

IGP- Indian Gift Portal, strives to revive those heartfelt moments, but at the comfort of your home, office or just about anywhere. IGP is such a saviour at these moments of time crunch. They have beautifully curated sections of gifting. For example, ” Gifts for elderly women 50+ ” and many more apt categories. There’s something for everyone👍🏻

Another little note that I want to make is of the fact that, the UI of IGP, is just the most smooth and pleasing one. The minimalistic red and white theme is so typical to gifting. Had no goof ups during browsing, so that’s a yes.

From the past 15 years, IGP has been delivering happiness to their customers worldwide. Yes, when you use IGP, you can send gifts all the way, across the seas. That’s one of their main USP’s, apart from having a wide range of over 80,000 gift products. Literally, you’re just spoilt for choice.

Like a gift and want to send it abroad? Don’t worry about calculating the shipping costs, there is a little tab, which tells you how much the gift would cost, inclusive of all taxes for that specific country.

IGP delivers to 90 countries and that in itself, is an achievement. With Holi, round the corner, this portal will be your go to, for Holi online shopping.

My Experience with IGP:

I, wanted to surprise mum with just the right gift for her. She’s a hardcore “Bone China” collector, she loves a good tea set, though she doesn’t drink tea. I’ve been on a lookout for the perfect one and found mine on the IGP. It’s a beautiful- wheat coloured, Rose printed Chinese tea set. I’m so in love with it. Quality wise, the set was superb. The tea set was exactly, like how it was depicted on the website.

Quality – ✅

Aesthetic appeal- ✅

VFM-✅

I, ordered these gifts and they were home in 2 days flat, even though it was the normal delivery option. The packaging as well as the little personalised note, which comes with each package is another feature, that will please the customer.

Allow me, to tell you how I found the perfect gift for her in about 10 minutes max. IGP, makes your life easier by this innovative feature on the website called “Gift Discovery” or the “Gift Suggester”.

Here’s how it worked for me. All you need to do is:

Choose one of the tabs that says “Gift Someone”

Select “Recipient“, like man or woman

Select “Relationship”, like mother, father, husband, etc

Select “Occasion”, like birthday, anniversary, etc.

Select your gift from the wide range of choices given.

Opt for your kind of delivery, that is, “Standard, One Day or Midnight”

Pay accordingly.

Relax 😁 IGP has you sorted.

The look on her face, when I surprised her out of nowhere was fabulous. 😍

Here’s how I had set it up:

I, also ordered Glass tea votives for her, which again are gorgeous. They were super affordable too, priced at Rs.160/- only and were a steal. Saving them for another day!

Though, she doesn’t drink tea, me and her sat down in the porch, with our cups of “Kahwa” and enjoyed the moment. Now, that moment- priceless. ❤️

My Verdict : I’d totally look into this site, for all my gifting needs, for the sheer fact that they have a huge selection of gifts and they are specially curated, on the basis of relationship, occasion, recipient and city. You can save yourself the pain of ordering something that looks super great and when it comes home, it ends up looking like a cheap imitation of what you saw.

Apparently, the decision to trot along to “Pastaroma” on one sunny afternoon, proved to be a win-win situation after all.

I, was a part of the blogger’s table, for the fare sampling at pastaroma. Let’s agree to one thing, we all are prejudiced. Yup, prejudiced with the colour red. I mean, when you walk into a “kiosk” serving “Italian fare”, you’re already contemplating how much you are gonna like the food, or for that matter, how much you would dislike it.

I’m gonna be brutally honest, I conjured up images of delightful pastas and deeply tangy Feta Salads, but the moment, I stepped into the food court, I’m thinking…” Oh Well! Here goes nothing”

Brief Insights about Pastaroma and Chef Amiel Guerin :

Being there a little ahead of time, I had “Chef Amiel”, demonstrate the little nuances of “pasta making from scratch”. Yes, you heard me right, they make their pastas from scratch and fresh everyday.

Chef Amiel, is no novice, he was the chef at “Cafe Noir” and has decided to take it a notch higher on the ladder in the process to proffer “Delectable, Fresh and Affordable” Italian cuisine, that would be your go to. “Pastaroma”, is the dream initiative that Chef Amiel and his 2 partners, concocted up. Being part French- part Italian and an explorer foodie, Chef Amiel, beautifully understands what an authentic dish is and tweaks that dish up, if you were to give him specifics on it.

Decor, Ambiance & Service:

Being a kiosk in a food court, there isn’t much to say. So let’s get the food talking.

The Grub Story :

We started our meal with a glass of fresh lime juice, to beat the afternoon heat and here’s what appeared on our tables :

Cheese Garlic Bread (Rs.49/-) : One of the best garlic breads, I’ve savoured. This one, I’ll always relish. Perfect flavour and perfect softness of the bread.

Tagliatelle and spaghetti aglio olio (Rs.159/-) : Delectable and light tossing up of veggies in Garlic infused olive oil. Loved the balance of all flavours. Recommended!

Spinach Ravioli in White Sauce (Rs179/-) : The Ravioli’s too are made from the scratch in the central kitchen. This one was filled with spinach, with generous amounts of white sauce for the ravioli to bask in. Loved the creaminess of it.

Fusilli in Pesto Sauce(Rs.159/-) : I, personally loved this one, for the sheer fact that, I have a soft corner for pesto’s. Loved the deep aromatics in this one. You oughta give this one a fair chance.

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Veg Lasagna (Rs.199/-) : Everyone, loves a good lasagna. Sometimes, the results are astonishingly good and sometimes not. Fortunately, this one, made happy. The next best thing!! Taking it a notch higher with 2 times the fillings and 2 times the taste. This lasagna stole my heart. One layer of delectable spinach and another layer of aubergine, with deep flavours of the tomato sauce. And, when those flavours came together, with soft yet al dente lasagna sheets, you just knew that you made the right choice.

Caesar and Greek Salad (Rs.109/-): Both of these tasted heavenly. I mean, there’s nothing that can tell me, that I’m eating this salad at a kiosk, class apart and sophisticated flavours came across. My favourites!! Highly Recommended 👍🏻

Desserts:

The desserts were the show stoppers and by that, I mean, show stoppers of high stature. These would have their counterparts grace the tables of 5 stars. The mango cheesecake, Chocolate Tart, blueberry cheesecake and Tiramisu were just amazing.

Verdict: The people at Pastaroma, believe in freshness and affordability. There isn’t one dish on the menu, that I didn’t like and which didn’t ring it for me. The wow factor had to be the pricing. It’s super VFM oriented.

Loved dining here and I’m sure so would you. Keeping the pricing and other kiosk’s offerings in mind, I’m gonna give a 4.5 star for this place. 👏🏻👏🏻

Imagine, the smell of wet earth, coupled with a whiff of fresh flowers. Imagine, the clink of metal churns on a bicycle. Imagine, the feel of wet earth under your shoes, the imprints that your shoes leave behind. Imagine walking upto a “Dhaba” and smelling the warm aromas of masalas and rotis. A beautiful medley of aromas take over your olfactory senses, before you even decide what you wanna eat, you already are devouring.

Nothing and just about nothing compares to the authenticity of “Pind” food. “Pind” in colloquial terms is, a village and by that term, we mean the heartiness of “Punjabi Food”

I, went about with my day and an impromptu plan to meet over dinner occurs. We decided to check out “Pindi”, as we’ve heard rave reviews of it.

Decor : The decor is fine and the ambience too just manages to be relaxing. I, would have loved for the decor to have more character to it, but, nevertheless, it’s a relatively neat place with comfortable seating arrangements and low light lighting.

Hospitality : It’s really become quite hard to find any restaurant, which has a bad remark with its hospitality. The service was top notch & the wait staff were genuinely interested in serving us. Special mention to the Manager, for his suggestions, in regards to the vegetarian fare. Whatever he suggested, turned out to be delish.

The Grub Story : We were here for dinner & the relaxed ambience got us talking and we spoke about the conceptualisation of the restaurant. Turns out, that “Pindi” is the branch of a full fledged and successful chain of restaurants running in Delhi. In fact, the history of Pindi goes back to the days of “Partition”. Apparently, the first owner of this place was the pioneer in creating our well loved “Butter Chicken”. What started off as a little push cart is a famous chain of restaurants.

Drinks 🍹

All of us ordered quite a few drinks and my favourite was the “Ginger Lemonade”, which was extremely refreshing and went well with my fare. I, even ordered a “Sunrise Fizz”, which was a tad bit too sweet for my liking.

Ginger Lemonade

Assorted mocktails

Starters 🥗

Paneer Kurkure (Rs. 250/-) : What a delectable starter this was. The fresh & soft Paneer generously marinated with a secret green masala & anardana, would have been great on its own, but this was Kurkure.. the crunch factor came in to play from the Delhi Papad that was coated. While people are using cornflakes, Paneer Kurkure over here were with Papad. A big must have.

Hariyali Sheek Kabab (Rs.225/-) : Another one of my favourites, deep flavours of green chillis and just a delicious bunch for the veggie soul.

Bharwan Chutney wale Alu (Rs. 225/-) : Oh! My Goodness!! I just super loved the ingenuity of the chef here, I’ve had bharwan alu, but this one takes it all. The filling was amazing because it was made out of potato peels 😋 They were coated generously with white sesame seeds aka til and boy! These made my day. Must must have.

Main Course 🍚🍱

Pindi Channa (Rs. 225/-) : This is their specialty and it was actually good. The heartiness of the channa tossed in desi flavours.

Kadai Paneer (Rs.265/-) : The portion was huge. The Paneer weren’t the miserly cubed ones, but actual rectangles. Very impressive and the spice level was spot on for us.

Dal Makhani with desi ghee (Rs. 220/-) : Yeh nahi khaya toh kya khaya? (If, you haven’t eaten this here, then what have you eaten) Let’s be honest, this is the authentic Makhani that we all must be on the lookout for. Just about everything is perfect. The spice level, creaminess, the dose of ghee, the taste.. I’m gonna be coming here again, just for that Dal Makhani!! Highly Recommended.

Desserts 🍨🍩

Gulab Jamoon (Rs. 95/-): Loved the dessert, the jamoon was just so soft, melt in the mouth and lightly flavoured with cardamom. Indulge!

Fruit and Cream (Rs.125/-): I’m not a fan of this one, I really didn’t understand what was it. It tried to be Cream, but was too runny for it and it tried to be milk, but was too thick for it. Nope!

Here’s what my Non vegetarian Peeps ate:

Kashmiri kabab : They loved this Kabab, but it had a distinct sweetness is what they said.

Mutton Galawati Kabab: Called it the Must have, because of the delicately spiced meat.

Bhatti ka Murgh : Another must have from them. They loved this the best.

Lal Maas Murgh

Butter Chicken : “The butter chicken was the USP “, they said. This butter chicken has a long story, which the staff proudly tell, when serving. Do ask for it, it’s an interesting story. The man who invented the butter chicken was the grandfather of the present proprietor.

Verdict : I’d definitely recommend this place, if not for anything then for it’s comfort food. The food made up for everything. They are a little on the expensive side, because of the extra care they put into sourcing of their ingredients from Delhi, like the Paneer or certain Masalas. But trust me, it would be a worth it experience. Do try the rooftop for a nicer ambiance.

I’m almost expecting the courtesans to come out with their tanpuras, clinking their anklets and swirling their lavish skirts in perfect circles.

And then, I realise… I’m at Jalsa Gold. Just about everything about this place at the first sight is ” Gold & exuberant”. *out of the reverie Noorain, out*

I, was invited over for the bloggers table, to taste test their menu. The place has an all day buffet at Rs. 479/- Veg and Rs. 579/- Non Veg. They currently are running a 15% discount on the menu.

Decor : The place is doused in a healthy vibe of Gold. A few pieces of art adorn the place, making the experience more believable. The decor is elegant, with chairs, cutlery and lighting all playing a harmonious part to unwind you completely.

Chef Ahmed Shariff in conversation with the bloggers

Hospitality: No jokes, but this was, in my opinion one of the places, i’ve experienced a class apart hospitality in. You just can’t go wrong, the genuine smiles, the want to understand what you need and prompt service, just make it something unforgettable. In fact, they even sweetly chime in and say “Madam, thoda aur” (Madam, another helping for you) when you go to their buffets. This I’ve seen during the time I went incognito to the restaurant, some nights before the review. The Grub Story : Allow me, to walk you through the delectable dishes, we relished on that day.

Drinks 🍹

Orange Mint Mojito & Kiwi Flyer : I, truly need to talk about how beautiful these drinks looked, with equal emphasis on the taste. My Orange Mint Mojito, was refreshing with a minty flavour prevalent all across. Erstwhile, the Kiwi Flyer was a mellowed out drink with just the most gorgeous flavours & colours of grenadine.

Starters 🥗

Lal Mirch Paneer Tikka : A subtle take on the Lal Mirch Tikka, wasn’t spicy at all, though I was expecting a punch of Red Chilli. The Paneer squares could do with more intensity, but other than that, it was a fair enough starter.

Veg Tart: Apart from being presented neatly, the tarts were a party in your mouth kinds. With sweet and salty flavours on the go. A modern take on the chaat!

Papaya and Spinach Tikki : By far, the most delicious thing for my palate. There was a distinct cheesy character to the tikki. Melt in the mouth and can’t stop at one kinds. Must have!

Bhindi Kurkure: Yet another feather in the chef’s toque blanche! The beauty of this dish was the extremely crispy okra fried with earthy flavours. When you bit into one, the crunch burst out with flavour.

Karela Salad : Usually bitttergourd is infamous for being one the most disliked vegetable, due to the presence of momordicines. But, this dish had masked the bitterness so conveniently that, it became a favourite among the blogger group. With a subtle sweet and bitter taste, this salad had me converted.

Paneer Vol-au-vents : These were gorgeous to look at, but had a firm bite. Usually, the vol-au-vents are meant to be flaky, crispy and almost delicate, but these were on the hard side. The filling on the other hand was delicious.

Main Course 🍱🍚

Dal Makhani & Paneer Methi : Both these dishes were something, that I would reach for a second helping for. Both of them relied heavily on being creamy. While, Paneer Methi lacked in the base flavour of Methi aka Fenugreek, Dal Makhani made up for the loss by being packed with fiery flavours.

Dal Makhani

Methi Paneer

Vegetable Biryani: Vegetable Biryani is an oxymoron, isn’t it? I mean, the whole reasoning of a biryani, is that it’s a one pot hearty dish, which has meat, veggies and rice. Biryani without meat is just pilaf 😁 So, though this is a vegetable biryani, I would prefer calling it a pilaf. 😁 Light, nicely spiced Basmati rice with veggies.

Pizza Margherita : The pizza here actually gave exclusive pizza joints and cafes a run for their money. In love with the thin crust pizzas.

Desserts 🍨 : The desserts were a tricky bunch, I mean, we were spoilt rotten with choice. They had a “Paan Panacotta with Gulkand Cream” , “Pineapple Tidbit”, “Chocolate Swan”, “Caramel Custard”, “Blueberry Cake”, “Cheesecake”, etc. The desserts were plated in a very “JOAN MIRO” style.

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I’ve always been a fan of ” Joan Miro” and to find that in an albeit amateur form, gets a thumbs up from me. My favourite has to be the “Chocolate Swan” & “Pineapple Tidbit”.

Here’s a glimpse of what the non vegetarian palate had.

Mutton Sheek Kabebs

Chicken Swan

Chicken Nizami

Mutton Nihari

Verdict : I, was here 3 times prior to the tasting session and I’ve had a wonderful experience. The service or the hospitality wasn’t any different. They value their customers and that I can assure. I rate it a total 5/5 for VFM, as their buffets are a steal. Ergo, this restaurant gets a well deserved 4 star for being awesome yum! Go douse yourself in royalty & treat your tastebuds to some finery.

I’m one of those people, who absolutely love their Sunday’s. Sunday’s are meant to be relished & revered. On one of those Sunday’s we had a bloggers meet at “Forklore Bistro”. Contemplating the odds, I decided to go ahead and just experience the whole hype.

Yes, Forklore Bistro has been in the good books, for being a place, where food is their USP. When that happens, really their isn’t anything stopping you from visiting that place.

Run by a handsome looking couple, clearly in love, the atmosphere is filled with promising dreams. Chef Tripthi is the recipe curator of the restaurant, supported by her musician husband Mr.Sanjay, the co-owner, they decided to embark on a journey to fulfill their dream of having a restaurant.

Do I hear an “Awwww”, in the background? 😁

Chef Tripthi also has been extremely passionate about her “herb garden”. Yes, that’s right. They have a little cute spot, where they have herbs growing. So, a big yes to concept.

Decor: The place is a 1975 house converted into a Bistro. There is an effortless rugged feel to the place, with bare brick wall & fairy lights. The ambiance is inevitably cheerful. The little knick knacks strewn across the place, impart a personal touch to the decor.

Hospitality: The wait staff are fairly knowledgeable, but i would appreciate it more, if they could recall the menu with much more ease. They do lack a sense of confidence, which translates as being laid back. But, they also did notify us, that on the day we went, they were understaffed.

The Grub Story: Hop along to see, what I ate. Off we go, to see what my carte du jour was :

Mushroom Pie (Rs. 165/-): Oh heavens! This was just a fantastic piece of perfection on my plate. The puff pastry of the pie was buttery, flaky and melt in the mouth kinds. Your bite would result in a smacking harmony of the mellowing mushroom combined with a subtle chive/leek flavour.

Watermelon and Feta Salad (Rs. 245/-) : Salads have a special place in my heart, I love them and I’m picky about them. The watermelon and the feta salad was just the right amount of everything. The creamy sourness from the feta, the freshness from the watermelon, peppery arugula, the subtle sweet sour of the honey vinaigrette & the tang from balsamic vinegar to bind it all, made this my favourite thing to eat. Each flavour comes into play one after the other.

Carrot and Spring Onion Pancake (Rs.225/-) : This as the name suggests, is a savoury pancake. I’m always inclined more towards a sweet pancake,crepe,flapjack, call it what you may. Savoury pancakes also go down well with me, but, this one, just didn’t do it. The flavours were mixed and somehow didn’t work with my palate. The pancake was kinda dense and floury. Served with a dollop of sour cream & drizzled with Balsamic vinegar. I would actually give it a pass. It all felt too dry, with nothing to bind it all together. Disappointed much 😔

Hawaiian Pizza with In House BBQ sauce (Rs. 355/-): The pizza is a thin crust one, with a generous helping of cheese & toppings like babycorn, bell peppers, olives on a delicious tomato sauce. The tomato sauce was just so thick and flavoured well with garlic. Took the humble pizza up by leaps and bounds. Great job on this one! But, having said that, I would also like to say, that, maybe the pricing is on a tad heavier side for a thin crust, vegetarian pizza.

Strawberry Fields Forever(Rs.145/-): A delicious, lip smacking vanilla yogurt, which could have been a fair enough dessert on its own, but they took it notches higher by adding crunchy walnuts and strawberry sauce. The sour-sweet combination was an instant hit with everyone. A total steal for this price and worth every penny.

Let me also tell you, that the presentation was just spot on! Eye candy 😋

This was what I ate, but here is a sneak peek of what the non vegetarians & non teetotallers had :

Fruity Booty Sangria: Chef Tripthi uses only and only fresh pulp, thereby, giving her Sangria’s a personal touch, which make them the most sought after item on the menu.

Egg Pie

Chicken Salad

Chicken and Lamb Steak

Monk in the middle (contains alcohol): Something my friends went gaga over! The dessert has a little spot filled with Rum in the middle.

Verdict : Here’s the hardest part and something that has stumped me.

Being a vegetarian & a teetotaller & being given limited options to choose from, might be the reason why my judgement is clouded. They still need to master a few areas of interest, but they have a passion for what they do and I do know, that gradually that passion will translate in every other thing.

On, a general note, seeing everybody else enjoying their meal immensely and loving the Sangria as well as the Lamb pizza, I’m gonna be generous and give a 4 star rating.